More accidents occur in the home than any other single setting. This is due mainly to the fact that people feel safe in their homes and, therefore, do not take simple precautions that are used extensively in business and industry. Safety hazards that may exist in a home setting include a wide variety of areas. For example, poor electrical wiring may lead to fires which can result in loss of property and personal injury. The home do-it-yourselfer is notorious for coming up with a multitude of sometimes serious injuries which could have been avoided if a minimum of care was taken. Additionally the existence of children in the home greatly increases the likelihood of some type of personal injury occurring. Whether it be a bruised knee or accidental poisoning, circumstances could have been altered to reduce the risk.
In the case of poisons or equally dangerous medicines, certain precautions have to be taken in order that small children and infants do not have easy access to them. In the past, household poisons including cleaning chemicals, etc., have been stored beneath the kitchen sink where a small child can easily reach them. Additionally, both prescription and nonprescription medicines have been usually stored in the bathroom medicine cabinet. These medicine cabinets are easily reached by climbing infants and effortlessly opened by a gentle tug on the door due to the use of an inadequate friction latching mechanism.